Saint Jude (2000)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John L'Ecuyer

Writers:

Heather O'Neill (story)
Heather O'Neill (written by)

Release Date:

6 October 2000 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Teen-aged sisters Jude and Maureen, living with their volatile father in Montréal, live a life of substance abuse...

Plot Keywords:

Teenage Girl | Single Parent | Montreal | Hustler | Father Daughter Relationship

Cast

Liane Balaban	...	Jude
Nicholas Campbell	...	Dad
Raymond Cloutier	...	Clarence
Bernie Coulson	...	Big Al
Kris Lemche	...	Gabe
Louise Portal	...	Georgie's Mother
Victoria Sanchez	...	Maureen
Victor Soumis	...	Georgie
Simon Peacock	...	Lenny
Tom Watt	...	Pat
Daniela Akerblom	...	Drunk Girl in Club
Robert Morin	...	Drug Dealer
David DiSalvio	...	Jude's Trick
Arizona O'Neill	...	4 year old kid
Mary Morter	...	Clarence's Mother

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Quotes:

[Clarence is masturbating in front of Jude]
Jude: Why are substitutions for love so creepy?

Movie Connections:

References The Karate Kid (1984)

Soundtrack:

Fragile Love

engaging, though flawed

Despite Baliban's excellent portrayal of wise child Jude, and a series of wonderful character bits sprinkled throughout, Saint Jude fails to scale the heights it so desperately wants to.

Over -directed by L'Ecuyer (those fast motion shots of a world passing the characters by are used a little too often), who fails to capture the absolute essence of the film. Jude looks far too clean for a kid slumming on the streets, (literally too clean) and features some very stagy, awkward monologues that would have been better off left on the cutting room floor.

All this said the film has some very engaging moments, especially those involving Jude's wanderings, which have that joyous though melancholy sense of a young woman trying desperately to put her adulthood on hold for as long as possible.